Storage container for dispensing disposable gloves

ABSTRACT

A dispensing system for disposable gloves. The system includes a storage container defining an interior and an exterior, a flexible sheet contained in the interior of the storage container, and a plurality of gloves contained in the interior of the storage container. The storage container includes an opening which allows access to the interior of the storage container from the exterior. The flexible sheet include two slits which overlap at an intersection which defines four adjacent corners. The intersection is aligned with the opening in the storage container. The plurality of gloves are separated from the opening in the storage container by the flexible sheet. One of the plurality of gloves may be removed from the storage container by pulling the one of the plurality of gloves through the intersection of the slits. The flexible sheet prevents the remainder of the plurality of gloves from exiting the storage container.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to a container for dispensing disposable gloves. More particularly, the present invention relates to an insert for use with a box containing disposable gloves to facilitate dispensing a single glove at a time.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Disposable gloves are used in numerous fields to protect a wearer's hands from undesirable substances the wearer might contact. For example, a physician or a dentist may wear disposable gloves to prevent the transfer of bodily fluids to or from a patient. In another example, a scientist working in a laboratory may wear disposable gloves to avoid contact with hazardous chemicals. Common materials for disposable gloves include, but are not limited to, latex, vinyl, and nitrile. Different materials may be suitable for different applications depending on several factors, including the type of hazardous substance, the wearer's allergies, etc.

Disposable gloves are typically distributed in large cardboard boxes which resemble tissue boxes and hold a large number of individual gloves (e.g., 100 or 200 gloves). Each box includes a perforated, elongated oval on one surface which is removed to form an opening in the box. The gloves are removed from the box through the opening. Unlike tissues which are folded to allow one tissue at a time to be easily removed from the box, disposable gloves are not packed inside the box in any ordered arrangement which would allow for one glove at a time to be easily removed from the box. Instead, multiple gloves, often more than are required, are pulled from the box. Excess gloves removed from the box are no longer sterile and must be disposed of in situations where sterilization is important. Waste has been estimated at approximately 10-12% per box. Because a medical or dental practice, for example, may go through large numbers of disposable gloves on a daily basis, this waste represents a significant cost. Therefore, a need exists for a way to dispense disposable gloves which reduces or eliminates this waste while not introducing substantial additional costs.

BRIEF SUMMARY

To meet this and other needs, and in view of its purposes, the present invention provides a system for dispensing disposable gloves in several embodiments. The system includes a storage container defining an interior and an exterior region, a flexible sheet contained in the interior of the storage container, and a plurality of gloves contained in the interior of the storage container. The storage container includes an opening which allows access to the interior of the storage container from the exterior. The flexible sheet includes two slits which overlap at an intersection which defines four adjacent corners. The intersection is aligned with the opening in the storage container. The plurality of gloves are separated from the opening in the storage container by the flexible sheet. One of the plurality of gloves may be removed from the storage container by pulling the one of the plurality of gloves through the intersection of the slits. The flexible sheet prevents the remainder of the plurality of gloves from exiting the storage container.

The storage container may be a cardboard box. The opening in the storage container may be an oval, a rectangle, or a rectangle with one or more rounded corners. The storage container may further include a sealing portion which covers the opening in the storage container and has a perforated edge such that the sealing portion can be removed to expose the opening before removing the one of the plurality of gloves. The storage container may have an end including overlapping flaps which may be separated to open the end of the storage container. Each of the four adjacent corners may be truncated to form an opening at the intersection of the slits which is smaller than the area of the opening in the storage container. The truncated corners may be rounded such that no sharp edges are formed at the intersection of the slits. The flexible sheet may be made of plastic, for example polypropylene. The storage container may have a cross sectional size and shape substantially the same as the cross sectional size and shape of the flexible sheet. For example, the storage container may be rectangular in cross section.

Further embodiments include an insert for dispensing disposable gloves from a storage container. The insert includes a flexible sheet having two slits which overlap at an intersection. The intersection of the slits defines four adjacent corners. One of a plurality of gloves may be dispensed through the flexible sheet by (a) inserting the flexible sheet into a storage container having an opening with the intersection of the slits aligned with the opening and the plurality of disposable gloves inside the storage container separated from the opening by the flexible sheet, and (b) pulling the one of the plurality of gloves through the intersection of the slits. The flexible sheet prevents the remainder of the plurality of gloves from exiting the storage container. Each of the four adjacent corners may be truncated to form an opening at the intersection of the intersecting slits which is smaller than the area of the opening in the storage container. The truncated corners may be rounded such that no sharp edges are formed at the intersection of the two intersecting slits. The flexible sheet may be made of plastic, for example polypropylene.

Further embodiments include a method of dispensing disposable gloves contained in the interior of a storage container having an opening. The method includes inserting into the interior of the storage container a flexible sheet which separates the plurality of disposable gloves from the opening in the storage container, where the flexible sheet includes two slits that overlap at an intersection which defines four adjacent corners and the intersection is aligned with the opening in the storage container; and pulling one of the plurality of gloves through the intersection of the slits. The flexible sheet prevents the remainder of the plurality of gloves from exiting the storage container. Each of the four adjacent corners may be truncated to four an opening at the intersection of the intersecting slits which is smaller than the area of the opening in the storage container. The truncated corners may be rounded such that no sharp edges are formed at the intersection of the two intersecting slits. The flexible sheet may be made of plastic, for example polypropylene.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, but are not restrictive, of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing. It is emphasized that, according to common practice, the various features of the drawing are not to scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. Included in the drawing are the following figures:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a box of disposable gloves;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the box of disposable gloves of FIG. 1 with the perforated portion removed;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a flexible sheet;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the box of disposable gloves of FIG. 1 with an open end;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the box of disposable gloves of FIG. 4 with the end closed and the flexible sheet of FIG. 3 inserted in the box; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the box of disposable gloves of FIG. 5 with a glove being dispensed through the flexible sheet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout the various figures that comprise the drawing. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a storage container 100 is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the storage container 100 may be a cardboard box (or a box made of any other suitable material) which stores a plurality of disposable gloves 200 (FIG. 2), for example latex or nitrile gloves worn by a physician or a dentist while examining patients. The plurality of disposable gloves 200 are not limited to any particular shape, size, or material, other than that they lack a rigid structure and can be pulled through a small opening, as described in more detail below. In some embodiments, reusable gloves or other items of similar composition may also be stored in the storage container 100 instead of disposable gloves.

The storage container 100 may be a hollow rectangular prism having a height H1, a length L1, and a width W1. In other words, the storage container 100 may be rectangular in cross section with respect to one or more dimensions (i.e., measured parallel to the height H1, the length L1, and/or the width W1). Although it will be understood that the storage container 100 is not limited to any particular dimensions, in an exemplary embodiment H1 may be approximately 2 inches to approximately 4 inches, L1 may be approximately 8 inches to approximately 10 inches, and W1 may be approximately 4 inches to approximately 6 inches. The storage container 100 includes an opening 110 which allows for access to the interior of the storage container 100 where the plurality of disposable gloves 200 are stored. Typically, the plurality of disposable gloves 200 are tightly packed in the storage container 100 but are not folded in on each other or arranged in a regular fashion which would allow the gloves to be easily dispensed from the opening 110. In the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the opening 110 is in a face 102 of the storage container 100 which is perpendicular to the height H1, but the opening 110 may alternatively be in any other face of the storage container 100. Typically, the opening 110 is approximately centered on the face 102. In an exemplary embodiment, and as depicted in FIG. 1, the opening 110 may include a sealing portion 112 which covers the opening 110 and has a perforated edge 114 which allows the sealing portion 112 to be easily removed in order to expose the opening 110. The opening 110 may be an oval, a rectangle, a rectangle with one or more rounded corners, etc., but is not limited to any particular size or shape. FIG. 1 depicts the storage container 100 with the sealing portion 112 intact, and FIG. 2 depicts the storage container 100 with the sealing portion 112 removed, exposing the opening 110 and the plurality of disposable gloves 200 contained within the interior of the storage container 100.

The storage container 100 also includes an end 120 with a first flap 122 which overlaps a second flap 126. In the exemplary embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first flap 122 includes a tab 124 and the second flap 126 includes a slot 128. Initially, the first flap 122 and the second flap 126 may be attached using an adhesive to close the end 120 of the storage container 100. Once the first flap 122 and the second flap 126 are separated, the end 120 of the storage container 100 may be resealed by inserting the tab 124 of the first flap 122 into the slot 128 of the second flap 126. In other embodiments, the first flap 122 and the second flap 126 may exclude the tab 124 and the slot 128, respectively, and be resealable by another mechanism. For example, the adhesive used to attach the first flap 122 and the second flap 126 may be reusable, or the storage container 100 may include an alternative physical fastening element for rejoining the first flap 122 and the second flap 126.

Referring to FIG. 3, a flexible sheet 300 is provided according to an embodiment of the invention. The flexible sheet 300 may be made of any suitable flexible material, for example a plastic such as polypropylene. The flexible sheet 300 has a length L2 and a width W2 and may have a size and shape substantially the same as the cross sectional size and shape of interior of the storage container 100 measured parallel to the face 102 of the storage container 100 (or alternatively, the face of the storage container 100 including the opening 110). The length L2 and the width W2 are similar to, but slightly less than, the length L1 and the width W1 of the storage container 100, respectively. For example, the length L2 and the width W2 may be approximately 75% to approximately 99% of the length L1 and the width W1 of the storage container 100. The flexible sheet 300 also has a thickness (i.e., the dimension measured perpendicular to the length L2 and the width W2) but the thickness is negligible relative to the length L2 and the width W2. For example, the thickness of the flexible sheet 300 may be less than 0.2 inches. The thickness of the flexible sheet 300 is not limited, however, as long as the flexible sheet 300 remains flexible.

The flexible sheet 300 includes a first slit 310 and a second slit 312 which cross at an intersection 320. In an exemplary embodiment, the intersection 320 is at approximately the center of the flexible sheet 300. In other embodiments, the intersection 320 may be off-center. The first slit 310 and the second slit 312 define four adjacent corners 322 arranged around the intersection 320. Each of the corners 322 may be truncated to form an opening 330 in the flexible sheet 300 at the intersection 320. The opening 330 in the flexible sheet 300 is smaller than the opening 110 in the storage container 100. Although the corners 322 may be truncated to form any suitable shape, the corners 322 are preferably rounded such that there are no sharp edges formed at the intersection 320.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first slit 310 is oriented substantially parallel to the length L2 of the flexible sheet 300 and the second slit 312 is oriented substantially parallel to the width W2 of the flexible sheet 300. Accordingly, the first slit 310 is also substantially perpendicular to the second slit 312. In other embodiments, the first slit 310 and the second slit 312 may be oriented at any suitable angle with respect to the flexible sheet 300 and each other. The first slit 310 and the second slit 312 may have any suitable length so long as the ends of the first slit 310 and the second slit 312 do not reach the outer perimeter of the flexible sheet 300. In other words, the outer perimeter of the flexible sheet 300 is not broken by either the first slit 310 or the second slit 312. The flexible sheet 300 may include one or more additional slits (not shown) which cross the first slit 310 and the second slit 312 at the intersection 320, resulting in more than four adjacent corners 322.

Referring to FIG. 4, the flexible sheet 300 may be installed in the storage container 100 by opening the end 120 of the storage container 100 and inserting the flexible sheet 300 into the storage container 100 with the intersection 320 of the first slit 310 and the second slit 312 aligned with the opening 110 of the storage container 100. The flexible sheet 300 is positioned with the opening 110 in the storage container 100 and the disposable gloves 200 on opposite sides of the flexible sheet 300. In other words, the disposable gloves 200 are separated from the opening 110 in the storage container 100 by the flexible sheet 300.

Referring to FIG. 5, once the flexible sheet 300 is installed in the storage container 100, the end 120 may be closed by inserting the tab 124 into the slot 128 to prevent the disposable gloves 200 from falling out of the storage container 100 and the sealing portion 112, if present, may be removed as described above to expose the opening 110 and allow the disposable gloves 200 to be dispensed through the opening 110.

Referring to FIG. 6, disposable gloves 200 may be dispensed from the flexible sheet 300 by reaching into the interior of the storage container 100 through the opening 110 and through the opening 330 of the flexible sheet 300, grabbing one of the plurality of disposable gloves 200, and pulling the one of the plurality of disposable gloves 200 through the opening 330 of the flexible sheet 300. Because the flexible sheet 300 is flexible, the corners 322 will bend to expand the size of the opening 330 to allow the one of the plurality of disposable gloves 200 to be pulled through the opening 330, but the opening 330 will remain small enough to prevent the remainder of the plurality of gloves 200 from exiting the storage container 100. In embodiments where the corners 322 are rounded, the lack of sharp edges prevents irritation, discomfort, or harm when reaching through the flexible sheet 300 to retrieve the one of the plurality of disposable gloves 200. Accordingly, waste is reduced because only the desired number of disposable gloves 200 are removed from the storage container 100 at a given time. At the same time, no substantial additional cost or complexity is added to the storage container 100 because only the flexible sheet 300 is required. Further, because the flexible sheet 300 is added to the interior of the storage container 100, the storage container 100 remains compatible with any secondary storage devices, for example a rack which orients the storage container 100 vertically or organizes multiple storage containers 100 including various sizes of disposable gloves 200. The flexible sheet 300 also limits contact with the remainder of the plurality of gloves 200, which reduces contamination.

In some embodiments, the flexible sheet 300 may be sold separately from the storage container 100 including the plurality of disposable gloves 200. In other embodiments, the storage container 100 may already include the flexible sheet 300 when provided to the end user. A further advantage of the flexible sheet 300 is that it is reusable. In other words, the flexible sheet 300 may be removed from a first storage container 100 and inserted into a second storage container 100, for example after the first storage container 100 is empty. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a new flexible sheet 300 with every storage container 100 and the price of each storage container 100 is not increased. In some embodiments, the flexible sheet 300 is preferably made of a serializable material which allows for the flexible sheet 300 to be cleaned while being transferred between storage containers 100.

Although illustrated and described above with respect to certain specific embodiments and examples, the disclosure is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details with the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. It is expressly intended, for example, that all ranges broadly recited in this document include within their scope all narrower ranges which fall within the broader range. In addition, features of one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment. 

What is claimed:
 1. A dispensing system for disposable gloves, the system comprising: a storage container defining an interior and an exterior and including an opening which allows access to the interior of the storage container from the exterior; a flexible sheet contained in the interior of the storage container, the flexible sheet including two slits which overlap at an intersection, wherein the intersection of the slits defines four adjacent corners and the intersection is aligned with the opening in the storage container; and a plurality of disposable gloves contained in the interior of the storage container, the plurality of disposable gloves separated from the opening in the storage container by the flexible sheet, wherein one of the plurality of gloves may be removed from the storage container by pulling the one of the plurality of gloves through the intersection of the slits, and the flexible sheet prevents the remainder of the plurality of gloves from exiting the storage container.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage container is a cardboard box.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the opening in the storage container is an oval, a rectangle, or a rectangle with one or more rounded corners.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein the storage container further includes a sealing portion which covers the opening in the storage container and has a perforated edge such that the sealing portion can be removed to expose the opening before removing the one of the plurality of gloves.
 5. The system of claim 2, wherein the storage container has an end including overlapping flaps, wherein the overlapping flaps may be separated to open the end of the storage container.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the four adjacent corners are truncated to form an opening at the intersection of the intersecting slits, wherein the opening in the flexible sheet has an area which is smaller than the area of the opening in the storage container.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the corners are rounded such that no sharp edges are formed at the intersection of the two intersecting slits.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the flexible sheet is made of plastic.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the flexible sheet is made of polypropylene.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage container has a cross sectional size and shape substantially the same as the cross sectional size and shape of the flexible sheet.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the storage container is rectangular in cross section.
 12. An insert for dispensing disposable gloves from a storage container, the insert including: a flexible sheet including two slits which overlap at an intersection, wherein the intersection of the slits defines four adjacent corners, wherein one of a plurality of gloves may be dispensed through the flexible sheet by (a) inserting the flexible sheet into a storage container having an opening with the intersection of the slits aligned with the opening and the plurality of disposable gloves are inside the storage container separated from the opening by the flexible sheet, and (b) pulling the one of the plurality of gloves through the intersection of the slits, wherein the flexible sheet prevents the remainder of the plurality of gloves from exiting the storage container.
 13. The insert of claim 12, wherein each of the four adjacent corners are truncated to form an opening at the intersection of the intersecting slits, wherein the opening in the flexible sheet has an area which is smaller than the area of the opening in the storage container.
 14. The insert of claim 13, wherein the corners are rounded such that no sharp edges are formed at the intersection of the two intersecting slits.
 15. The insert of claim 12, wherein the flexible sheet is made of plastic.
 16. The insert of claim 15, wherein the flexible sheet is made of polypropylene.
 17. A method of dispensing disposable gloves contained in an interior of a storage container having an opening, the method including: Providing a flexible sheet including two slits that overlap at an intersection which defines four adjacent corners inserting the flexible sheet into the interior of the storage container, wherein the flexible sheet separates the plurality of disposable gloves from the opening in the storage container, and the intersection of the two slits is aligned with the opening of the storage container; and pulling one of the plurality of gloves through the intersection of the slits, wherein the flexible sheet prevents the remainder of the plurality of gloves from exiting the storage container.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein each of the four adjacent corners are truncated to form an opening at the intersection of the intersecting slits, and wherein the opening in the flexible sheet has an area which is smaller than the area of the opening in the storage container.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the corners are rounded such that no sharp edges are formed at the intersection of the two intersecting slits.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the flexible sheet is made of plastic. 